Voting-machine.



J. H. DEAN.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.17, 190s.

Patented June 13,1911.

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J. H. DEAN.

VOTING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION IILED SEPT.17, 1908.

Patented June 13, 1911.

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J. H. DEAN.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1908.

Patented June 13, 1911;

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE! JAMES H. DEAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 EMPIRE VOTING MACHINE COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VOTING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. DEAN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting-Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The invention relates to voting machines and more particularly to theinterlocking mechanism which limits the number of votes which can becast by a single voter, and also to the class voters lock-out mechanismwhereby parts of the machine are locked against operation when arestricted or class voter is admitted thereto.

In most States the ballot is divided into party columns extending fromtop to bottom of the sheet and into office rows extending from side toside thereof, and in most voting machines a corresponding arrangement ofkeys is employed. In some States and particularly Massachusetts andMinnesota, there is no party alinement on the ticket, instead the namesof the candidates are arranged in columns with the names of thecandidates for several different offices in the same column, the namesof the candidates for the same oflice being arranged together, forexample, the names of the candidates for governor will be arranged atthe top of the first column one below the other, then will follow thenames of the candidates for lieutenant governor in the same column andso on. In

. the voting machine having the party column and office row arrangementof, keys there is a set of interlocking devices for each office row andthese may be arranged in a single candidate group or connected with theinterlocking devices of adjacent rows to form a multi-candidate group,but the interlocking device cannot be arranged so that a number of setsof candidates for different oflices can be arranged in the same column.

The present invention seeks to provide a simple and effective form ofinterlocking mechanism which is particularly adapted to theMassachusetts or Minnesota form of ballot and a simple and effectiveclass voters lock-out in connection with a machine having such aninterlocking mechanism.

The invention consists in the features of improvement, combinations andarrangements of parts hereinafter set forth, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 17, 1908.

Patented June 13, 1911.

Serial No. 453,479.

more particularly pointed out in the ap pended claims.

The invention is illustrated as applied to the form of the machine setforth in prior applications filed by me December 27, 1901, Serial No.238,388 and April 1st, 1907, Serial No. 365,639, although it could beadapted to other types of Voting machines.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section from side to sideof the machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1from front to rear of the machine. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail planview of a portion of the interlocking mechanism with parts broken awayand parts shown in section on the line 33 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 1 is anenlarged detail section on the line 4L i.of Fig. 3.

As in the prior applications referred to, the machine is provided with abox like frame or casing 1 having vertically movable ballot indicatorsor keys 2 arranged upon the fiat top of the machine frame. These keysare carried in removable units or sections with two keys, countermechanism controlled thereby and restoring devices for the keys arrangedin each section. Each section com prises a pair of connected side plates3 and is mounted at the upper portion of the ma-' chine upon supportingbars 4: that extend from front to rear of the machine frame. The countersections are arranged below a pair of removable top plates 5 and 5 Eachkey extends through a guide at the upper end of the counter sections,and is provided with a depending tail piece 6 which extends between apair of guide pins or rollers 7 at the lower portion of the countersection. The two counters for the keys in each section are arranged onopposite sides thereof and comprise a set of counter wheels 8 mountedupon cross pins 9 extending between the side plates 3 of the countersections, and the units wheel of each counter is provided with a Genevastop gear 10 which is arranged to be operated by the single toothedGeneva stop actuator 11. Each actuator is rotatably mounted in a support12 that is axially movable on a pair of cross pins 13 extending betweenthe side plates 3 of the counter sections. The tail portion 7 of eachkey is provided with a cam slot 1 1 (see Fig. 2) that engages a pin 15connected to the carrier or holder 12 of the correspondiug counteractuator. By moving the key vertically to and from voted position thepart 12 is shifted to move the actuator 11 axially into and out ofoperative relation with the gear 10 on the units wheel of thecorresponding counter. The actuators of the several counter sections arearranged in line and a series of actuator shafts 16 extend theretluough.These actuator shafts are oscillated by the operating mechanism toadvance the counters corresponding to the voted keys. This countermechanism is more fully set forth in the prior applications referred to.a

Each key is slotted to engage one end of a rock arm 17 which is looselymounted upon a hub 18 journaled between the side plates of the countersections. A laterally projecting lug 19 on the hub 18 extends between apair of shoulders 20 and 21 on the rock arm 17. The hubs 18 of theseveral counter sections are arranged in line and are provided. withsquare openings through which a series of square shafts 22 extend. Theseshafts are controlled by the operating mechanism and are normally heldin the position shown in Fig. 1 with the lugs 19 on the sleeves 1Sengaging the shoulders 20 of the rock arm 17 and locking the rock armsand keys against movement with the keys in their normal raisedpositions. ll hen a voter is admitted to the machine the shafts 22 areunlocked so that the voter may indicate his choice by depressing theballot indicators or keys 2 to shift the actuators 11. relativcly to thecorresponding counters. At the end of the voting operation the shafts 22are oscillated back to normal position to restore and. rock the keys andcounter actua tors. The lugs 19 are considerably narrower than thespaces between the shoulders 20 and 21. so that there is a lost motionconnection between the restoring shafts 22 and the keys to permit theindependent operation of the several keys.

The keys, as in the machines shown in the prior applications referredto, are arranged in columns extending from front to rear of the machineand in rows extending from side to side thereof. In said prior device aset of interlocking devices was provided for each row with means forconnecting the interlocking devices of adjacent rows to form groups. Inthe present construction each column of keys is provided with a set ofinterlocking devices and means are provided whereby each set ofinterlocking devices may be arranged in, groups in any desired manner,that is to say, any number of adjacent interlocking devices with thekeys connected thereto may be arranged in a group and the number of keysand interlocking devices which may be shifted to voted position in anygroup can be limited to any desired number.

The interlocking mechanism preferably comprises sprcaiders connected toand longitudinally shifted by the keys with interlocking blocks orspaces between the spread ers. The guide channels for the interlockingblocks extend parallel with the columns of keys from front to rear ofthe machine. Each of these guides or channels comprises a pair ofvertically disposed side plates 23 which are secured together and heldapart in proper spaced relation and are secured at their front and rearends to the machine frame. These plates are provided at their upperedges with laterally projecting strengthening flanges 2st, and adjacenttheir edges they are provided with outwardly bent portions 25 which formthe guide channels for a series of fiat sliding blocks or spacers 26.The spreaders 27 for the blocks are preferably in the form of short rodsthat are square in section and provided with reduced portions 28 havinginclined faces at the ends of the reduced portions. The spreader-s aresecured to the lower ends of interlocking rods 29 the hooked upper endsof which engage openings in the tail portions of the several rock arms17. The spreaders extend downwardly through the side plates 23 of theinterlocking channels with the narrow portions 28 thereof normallyextending through notches 29 formed in the ends of the blocks 26. Theadjacent ends of the blocks 26 on opposite sides of the notches 2E) andon opposite sides of the Spreaders are arranged to abut, and the recessin two adjacent blocks formed by the notches is wider than the thinportion of the spreader, so that there is no frictional contact betweenthe blocks and spreaders in normal position to resist the sliding shiftof the blocks in the guide channel 25 and the sliding shift of theblocks and arrows will not tend to spread the blocks. To further guardagainst the spread of the blocks by the lateral shift of the blocks andspreader-s in the channels the edges of the notches 29 on opposite sidesof the thin portions 28 of the spreaders are rounded, as shown.

When any key is moved to voted position the corresponding spreader islifted vertically or is moved longitudinally and the lower thick end ofthe spreader is moved into line with the row of blocks to spread thesame. It then engages the rounded edges 26 of the blocks. The extent towhich the blocks are spread or a single step of the interlockingmechanism is equal to the difference between the distance of the edgesof two adjacent blocks when they are moved into engagement and the widthof the lower thick portions of the spreaders. To arrange the Spreadersand keys into groups and to limit the number of keys and spreaders inany group which may be operated the side plates 23 of the guide areprovided just above the channel 25 with a series of seats or holes 31that are adapted to receive grouping pins 32. Each grouping pin isprovided at one end with a coiled spring portion 33 having an inwardlyprojecting finger 34. The finger is provided with a V-shaped portion 35which is adapted to seat between the upper edges of the side plates 23and thus lock the grouping pin in position.

The seats or openings 31 are arranged at a distance apart equal to onestep of the interlocking mechanism, 6., equal to the extent to which theblocks are spread by the shift of a single spreader to voted position.IVhere a number of keys and spreaders are to be arranged in a group,grouping pins 32 are arranged in the seats 31 outside of the endspreaders of the group and each single column of keys and spreaders maybe divided in this way into any desired number of groups. In groupingthe machine a pin 32 is inserted outside of the end spreader of thegroup and the entire group of spreaders and blocks or spaces are movedagainst this pin, as shown at the right in full lines in Fig. 4. If thekeys in this group are to be limited to the operation of a single keythe other grouping pin will be inserted in the second hole or seat 31outside the opposite end spreader of the group when the entire set arethus held crowded together. If two keys are to be voted in the group thepin will be inserted in the third hole or seat and if three, in thefourth hole or seat, and so on. In Figs. 3 and 4 a group of six keys andspreaders is shown at the left with three to be voted. The sixcandidates names in the group will be arranged adjacent thecorresponding keys and the voter will be directed to vote for any three.In the middle of Figs. 3 and 4 a group of three spreaders are shown withone to be voted for. A similar group is shown at the right in Fig. 3with one of the spreaders in voted position. At

the left in Fig. 4 the spreaders are indicated in dotted lines withthree voted for. In the voted groups it will be noted that all the spacebetween the pins dividing the group is taken up. It will also be notedthat these pins engage the outside spreaders of the group and not theend blocks. In this way all of the columns of keys and interlockingdevices in the machine can be arranged in groups with any desired numberof keys in each group, and the keys which may be operated in each groupcan be limited to any desired number. The column of keys 2 are forvoting on questions.

The class voters lock-out comprises a series of flat bars 36 secured attheir upper edges to rods 37. These bars and rods extend from front torear of the machine with one adj acent each set of interlockingspreaders and the rods are rotatably mounted so that the bars 36 may beshifted from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to the positionshown in dotted lines. The rods or shafts 37 are all shiftedsimultaneously through the medium of a set of crank arms 38 thereon,which are connected by a common link 39. One of the shafts 37 extendsthrough the rear plate 40 of the machine (see Fig. 2), and is providedon its outer end with a crank handle 41 having a finger piece 42 that isshiftable between a pair of stops 43 on the face of the plate 40. Byshifting the handle the bars 36 may be moved back and forth between thepositions shown in full and dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Each of the interlocking spreaders is provided at its upper portion (seeFig. 4) with an opening or hole 44, which are adapted to receiveremovable pins or clips 45 (see Fig. 1). These pins are provided withbent spring portions 46 (see Fig. 4), which are adapted to extend aroundthe spreaders and secure the pins against displacement.

To lock out the candidates for whom the restricted or class voter is notentitled to vote, the spreaders connected to the keys of thesecandidates will be provided each with one of the pins 45. When therestricted or class voter is admitted to the one the crank handle 41will be shifted to move the bars 36 to the position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1, over the pins 45 so that the keys connected to theinterlocking spreaders provided with pins are locked against move ment.When a regular voter is admitted to the machine the locking bars 36 willbe in normal position, shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and will notinterfere with the operation of any of the keys. In this way any one ormore of the keys may be selectively held against operation by the classvoters lock-out.

It is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the details ofconstruction set forth without departure from the essentials of theinvention.

I claim as my invention 1. Interlocking mechanism for voting machinescomprising a. series of interlocking spreaders, spacing devices betweensaid spreaders and adjustable stop devices for arranging the spreadersin groups, said stop devices being arranged to engage the end spreadersof each group.

2. Interlocking mechanism for voting machines comprising a row ofinterlocking blocks, spreaders for said blocks. a set of adjustable stoppins for dividing said spreaders into groups, said stop pins beingarranged to engage the end spreaders of each group.

3. In a voting machine, the combination with a number of columns of keysand counters controlled by said keys, of a corresponding number of rowsof interlocking blocks, spreaders for said blocks connected to andlongitudinally shifted by said keys, said spreaders and said blocksbeing later ally movable independently of said keys and means fordividing each row of interlocking spreaders and blocks into groups withany desired number in each group and for limit ing the operation of thekeys and spreaders in each group to any desired number.

at. In voting machines, the combination with a series of ballotindicators or keys, of a series of interlocking devices connected to andshifted by said keys and class voters mechanism comprising a shiftablemember and a series of adjustable stops removably mounted on saidinterlocking devices and arranged to be engaged by said shiftablemember.

5. In voting machines, the combination with a series of ballotindicators or keys and counters controlled thereby, of a number of partsconnected to and shifted by said keys and class voters mechanismcomprising a shiftable member and a series of stops removably mounted onsaid parts arranged to be engaged by said member to lock said keysagainst movement.

6. In voting machines, the combination with a column of keys, of a setof interlocking spreaders connected to and shifted by said keys, ashiftable member arranged adjacent said interlocking spreaders, a seriesof pins removably mounted on said spreaders and arranged to be engagedby said member when in shifted position.

7. In voting machines, the combination with a number of columns of keys,of corresponding rows of interlocking spreaders, a series of swingingbars arranged adjacent said spreaders, means for shifting said bars anda series of pins removably mounted on said spreaders arranged to beengaged by said bars when in shifted position to lock out thecorresponding keys.

8. The combination in a voting machine of an interlocking mechanismcomprising an interlocking channel, blocks supported therein being freeto move along said channel, wedges interlocking with said blocks,flanges extending upwardly from the opposite sides of said channel,perforations through said flanges, pins extending through saidperforations engaging with sald wedges to prevent the movement along thechannel of the blocks engaged by said wedges.

9. The combination in a voting machine of an interlocking mechanismcomprising an interlocking channel, blocks supported therein being freeto move along said chan- 6O nel, wedges interlocking with said blocks,flanges extending upwardly from the opposite sides of said channel,perforations through said flanges, pins extending through saidperforations engaging with said wedges to prevent the movement along thechannel of the blocks engaged by said wedges, said perforations beingspaced apart between centers a distance equal to the displacement of theinterlocking wedges.

10. The combination in a voting machine of an interlocking mechanismcomprising an interlocking channel, blocks supported therein being freeto move along said channel, wedges interlocking with said blocks,flanges extending upwardly from the opposite sides of said channel,perforations through said flanges, pins extending through saidperforations engaging with said wedges to prevent the movement along thechannel of the blocks engaged by said wedges, said perforations beingmore numerous than the wedges interlocked.

11. The combination in a voting machine of an interlocking mechanismcomprising an interlocking channel, blocks supported therein being freeto move along said channel, wedges interlocking with said blocks,flanges extending upwardly from the opposite sides of said channel,perforations through said flanges, pins extending through saidperforations engaging with said wedges to prevent the movement along thechannel of the blocks engaged by said wedges, said perforations beingspaced apart between centers a distance less than the distance betweencenters of consecutive wedges.

JAMES H. DEAN.

lVitnesses HARRY L. CLArr, Ka'riranixn GnRLAorr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. C.

